No Stone Unturned: The Tale of Olbert Stone Fist
by BenJ1391
Summary: A time of trail and fire faces Skyrim. One man must discover his destiny, decipher his cryptic dreams, and face a foe older than time itself.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

He was trapped, trapped in a room with stone walls and no door. Madly he looked about, hoping for some sort of exit. A door, a window, or even a small crack in the walls he could try and dig out; anything that could possibly lead to freedom, but there was nothing. Only a small wooden table, a chair, and a bed of straw occupied the room, lit dimly by one lone torch. Frustrated, the man lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes to think.

"Come my child, why do you fret so?"

A soft, sweet voice spoke from the darkness. The man jerked up, casting his eyes about for the source of the voice.

"Hello? Who's there? By the Nine, I demand you show yourself!"

His voice rang out and echoed off the walls. It was firm, steady, and unwavering. Not one tremor to indicate the fear the man felt in is heart.

"There is no reason to be afraid. Come, come and look at me"

The man stood up and looked about the room. Against one wall, barely lit by the dim torch, was a golden statue of Mara, the goddess of love and compassion.

"There, you see? No reason to be afraid. Come my child, come and kneel before me."

As if in a trance, the man slowly walked over to the statue and knelt in front of it. His hands were already clasped in the familiar gesture of prayer from his childhood. His knees popped as he knelt, the sound echoing around the small room.

"Tell me, child, what is your name?"

The voice spoke again, quietly and kindly. The man looked at the statue, pondering for a moment before he spoke.

"I…I don't remember. Bless me, Mara, for I do not remember my name!"

Anguish crept into the man's voice, and with the last word he let out a sob. He had no memory of anything; who he was, what he had done in his life. He could not even remember what his face looked like.

A tear slid down the man's cheek and landed softly in the basin at the statue's feet.

"Come now, child. Do not weep, for all will be well soon. Why not have a drink? You look to be rather thirsty."

The basin suddenly filled with crystal clear water, and the man simultaneously realized how dry his throat was, and how thirsty he really felt. Greedily, the man dipped his hands into the bowl and raised the water to his lips. The water was cold, clear and delicious. The man swallowed the first gulp, and as he reached his hands back into the basin, his mind unlocked and his memories came flooding back.

The man froze as his mind filled. Images, names, faces, it all came back to him with sudden clarity. He remembered growing up in Cyrodil, taking an apprenticeship with a blacksmith in the Imperial City. He remembered his plans to return to Skyrim, the land of his ancestors, and he remembered…

"…My name! My name is Olbert. Olbert Stone-Hand."

More memories flooded him. He remembered his first steps into Skyrim, and the first sale he made. It had been to a lone Khajit traveler, who had bought a fine steel sword. He remembered travelling with a caravan, going to Markarth to try and make some coin.

"I remember it! I remember it all!"

Olbert's ecstasy was short lived however, as the last bits of memory returned to him. He remembered the ambush. A large group of bandits, dressed in strange armor that looked like animal carcasses, had attacked his trading caravan. He remembered trying to fight them off, hearing one behind him, and then he remembered the pain as a mace landed on the back of skull.

"I…But where am I now?"

His confusion quickly gave way to fear as a grim thought entered his mind.

"Am I…dead?"

"No, my child. Far from it." The statue reassured him "In fact, it is almost time for you to return there. But be warned, a great trial is coming to you. Fire will soon sill the skies above Skyrim, and many people will die. You however, will be able to prevent this, if you act with haste. Go, my child. Go now and fulfill your destiny, and know that Mara is watching you always"

Light began to fill the room. Olbert raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright glow emanating from everywhere. Suddenly the floor dropped out from beneath him, and Olbert didn't even have time to yell as he plummeted toward the unknown.


	2. Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

Olbert woke with a start, the dream already fading from his mind. He sat up quickly and raised a hand to the throbbing lump on the back of his head. Around him lay the remains of his caravan. Three broken wagons, one of them was burning. The smell of the smoke made Olbert cough.

He got to his feet unsteadily, and surveyed his surroundings. Not much remained of his caravan, save for a few broken crates of food. There was no sign of any of the others he had been travelling with, nor of the lone Imperial soldier the group had hired to be their bodyguard.

Olbert walked over to one of the broken food crates, and looked inside. Most of the produce had been smashed into pulp, but he managed to find a few non-bruised apples, which he placed in his pockets for later. He looked over the mountains, where the sun was rising. The caravan had been travelling at night, a terrible idea but they had been trying to get to Markarth before the produce went bad.

"Great, this is just…great." Olbert muttered to himself. "Here I am, stuck in the middle of nowhere with no weapons, no money, and no idea how to find my way back to civilization. Ah well. I won't find my way home by standing here and fretting about it"

He started walking down the gentile hill he was on, when a small pedestal a short distance away caught his eye. He hurried over to it and looked it over. It was old and worn, and looked to be Dwarven based on the yellow metal sculpting that was embedded into it. On top of it rested a rusted iron helmet, and a quiver containing a few arrows, also Dwarven by the look of them

"A helmet eh? Wish Id've had one of those earlier." Olbert chuckled to himself "Still, can't hurt to have it now at least."

He pulled the helmet onto his head, and was surprised at how well it fit. He also pulled the quiver over his shoulder. He'd never been much of an archer, but dwarven arrows were worth a fair bit of coin, even just these three arrows could fetch enough coin for a night at an inn and a hot meal.

"Quite a sight I must be" Olbert remarked "Wearing these old clothes along with this rusted old helmet"

After making sure there was nothing else of value, Olbert turned away and began walking down the hill again, keeping an eye out for any passing travelers.

"At least the weather is nice" He remarked "A bit of sun brightens even the worst of days"

With that, Olbert began to whistle. The song was "The Age of Aggression", a song he had heard many times in the inns of Skyrim.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, Olbert stopped suddenly and looked around. He could smell smoke, which hopefully meant people. After a few more minutes of walking, he found the source. A small camp was down a short cliff, with a fire pit and a few tents. Olbert quickly began to slide down the cliff in hopes of finding help, and maybe a hot meal and a bed where he could rest his aching head.

As he hit the ground at the bottom, one of the camp's occupants emerged from a tent. Olbert's heart sank. The man was wearing a strange headdress, with elk horns jutting out of both sides. The bandits who attacked the caravan had been wearing similar things.

"Well well, what have we here?" The man sneered, "A lost little lamb come to the slaughter?" The man cackled as he walked towards Olbert.

"Please, I don't want any trouble." Olbert began "My caravan was attacked by bandits and I-"

"Shut it." The man snapped. "You filthy Nords are always coming and taking what's ours. Your kind has no place here; the Reach belongs to the Forsworn!"

With that, then drew a sword and charged at Olbert. Quickly, Olbert grabbed the man's hand, and punched him in the face with his other hand, using all the force he could muster. There was a sickening crunch, and Olbert felt the man's nose break under his fist. The man stumbled backwards, blood already pouring down his face.

"I need some help out here!" The man yelled "We've got Nords in the camp!"

Quickly, two more figured rushed out of the tents, one brandishing a crudely made axe, and another with a bow. Olbert quickly turned on his heel and raced toward some trees. As he entered the small grove, an arrow hit a tree a few inches to his left. Olbert cursed and ran faster than he ever had. Soon the shouting of the others faded, and Olbert collapsed against a tree, panting and shaking.

After taking a few minutes to compose himself, Olbert got up and began quickly walking again, trying to put more distance between himself and the forsworn encampment. Eventually he found his way through the trees, and we greeted by a beautiful site. The trees ended on the edge of a cliff, and far below him was a tall waterfall, which dumped into a pristine lake.

"Wow." Olbert remarked "That is quite the sight."

"It is, isn't it?" A voice spoke up.

Olbert jumped so hard he nearly fell down the cliff face.

"Ha, easy there, friend. I didn't mean to startle you."

The voice belonged to another Nord, a hunter by the look of his attire. He was clad in various furs, and he had a bow slung over one shoulder. The hunter was sitting on a small wooden overhang, his legs dangling right over the water.

"Well met, traveler." The man said "You look troubled, is there anything I can do for you?"

"I was travelling with a caravan, and we were attacked." Olbert said. "I took a good knock on the head, and when I finally came around there wasn't much of anything left. No sign of any of the other merchants I was travelling with."

The man got up and put a comforting hand on Olbert's shoulder.

"Sounds like you've had quite the ordeal. The roads around here are not safe these days, those damned Forsworn have been raising hell for travelers lately, and the Jarl just sits on his throne and does nothing. Fat and lazy he is. What good is that damned man?"

The man was getting visibly upset, but then he relaxed and turned back to face Olbert.

"Ah, but you must be tired, and hungry too I'd wager; I think I can remedy that.. Come, follow me. My camp is this way, it's an old cabin used by many hunters in this area."

The man walked off, along the edge of the cliff, and Olbert followed. After a few minutes they arrived at a cabin. No other people were around, but a fair amount of items had been left on a table outside. Olbert walked over and began looking over it all. While the hunter had his back turned, Olbert picked up a steel dagger and slid it into his belt.

"Talos forgive me, but I am in desperate need of a weapon" Olbert thought. "If I had any gold I'd leave it here in place of this, but alas I do not."

"Now then, "the hunter said "Let's see about getting a hot meal. I've got some venison I can cook up, but it will be a little while. If you'd like, there's a bed in there you can get some rest on."

"That sounds great, thank you" Olbert said "Wake me up when the food is ready if you could."

Olbert walked inside the cabin and laid down on the lone bed. He didn't drift off to sleep, but he dozed a bit in the warm noon sun. After about an hour the hunter knocked on the cabin wall.

'Lunch is ready, come and get it."

"That smells divine" Olbert remarked as we walked out of the cabin. "By the Nine, I am hungry."

"Then come my friend, sit and eat. There is plenty of meat; the fields around here are ripe with game."

The food was magnificent. Olbert could not recall ever having venison that had been so expertly prepared. Plus the hunter had also prepared some baked potatoes, and a large pot of vegetable stew. Olbert ate more than he had in a long time, and by the end he felt as fat as the Jarl the hunter had mentioned before.

After lunch was finished Olbert got up and nodded at the hunter.

"Thank you my friend, I feel much better now. I wish I could stay longer, but I must try and find my way back to a town, the wilderness is no place for a blacksmith."

"Well my friend, I wish you luck. Keep your wits sharp, and your blade sharper, and may your fortunes improve."

With that, Olbert turned and walked out of the camp. He quickly found a footpath, and began to follow it, hoping it would connect to a main road. After a short walk, the path widened out, and off in the distance Olbert could see a cobble road.

As he walked towards it, Olbert noticed a Dunmer, a dark elf, standing off to the side the road. Once the elf noticed Olbert, he ran up to him and pulled a dagger out of his belt.

"Alright you, hand over all of your valuables or Ill gut you like a fish!"

Olbert let out a derisive laugh.

"Look at me, elf. Look at my clothes. Do I look like I have anything of value?"

"Everyone has something of value, even just a few Septims" The elf sneered. "Now give me everything you've got before this turns ugly!"

Olbert just sighed and pushed his way past the Dunmer.

"I don't have time for this, greyskin. Why don't you skulk back to Morrowind where you belong?"

"Don't you turn your back on me!" The Dunmer cried "I'll have your head for that!"

The elf charged at Olbert and raised the dagger he carried high. Olbert quickly turned around, caught the Dunmer's hand, and drew his own dagger from his belt. He twisted the Dunmer's arm backwards; the elf's dagger fell to the ground. Before the elf could even blink, Olbert's dagger was pressed up against his throat.

"Give me a reason" Olbert hissed. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you right now and rid Skyrim of your stink."

"You filthy Nord!" the elf screamed "I'll have your head on a pike and I'll have your entrails for my dinner!"

Olbert looked at the elf, twisting helplessly in his grasp, and he felt the anger rise. Everything Olbert had endured, the attack on his caravan, the strange Forsworn, it all came to the top of his boiling mind.

With a cry of rage, Olbert threw the elf to the ground, dropped to one knee, and sank his dagger into the Dunmer's heart. The elf let out a single choked gasp, and then went limp. Olbert yanked the dagger free, and wiped in clean on the grass before sticking it back in his belt. After that he patted down the thief, and found a small bag of Septims as well as a few gemstones. He stuffed all of that into his pockets and continued on his way.

After walking along the road for another two hours, Olbert was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of a dog whining. Off to the side of the road, a dirty grey dog, with fur matted in mud, lay there looking at Olbert and whining in a pitiful way.

"Well hello there, boy. Are you a lost traveler as well? Olbert asked

The dog jumped up and barked at Olbert, then quickly ran down a footpath a short distance. Then it turned, and barked at Olbert again as if encouraging him to follow. Olbert obliged, and followed the dog up to a small cabin. The dog raced inside the cabin, barking. Olbert ducked under the entrance and followed.

Inside the cabin was a lone table and a bed, and lying on the bed was man, dead. Olbert bent over the corpse. The Man hadn't been dead for long, less than a day by the looks of it, and the coloration of his skin could mean only one thing.

"Rockjoint." Olbert muttered "Poor man, laying here dying while being unable to move…"

Clasped in the dead man's hands was a ragged journal. Olbert pried it from the corpse and opened to the last page.

"_Well, after all my years living in these woods, it looks like the Rockjoint will finally be the end of me. I guess that's fine. All my friends are long dead. The only one left is poor Meeko. He was always a loyal companion, and I know he'll be able to take care of himself. I hope someday I'll see him again."_

Olbert laid the journal back on the man's chest and looked over at the dog.

"Meeko, huh boy?" he asked.

The dog barked in agreement and wagged its tail

"Well boy, it doesn't seem like there's much left here for you. How would you like to come along with me instead?"

The dog barked again, and jumped up to lick Olbert's face. Olbert laughed and scratched Meko's head.

"Well then boy, let's get going! There's a lot of land for us to see, and the journey has only just begun."


	3. Chapter 3: The Long Walk

"Come on, boy. It's not far now I'm sure" Olbert said.

Behind him, Meeko gave a loud bark and then ran a circle around him. Then the dog ran ahead, and turned to look back, before giving a small bark, as if telling Olbert to hurry.

Olbert chuckled "Alright, boy, I'm coming."

As they crested the next hill, Olbert let out a sigh of relief. Below him he could see several rooftops. They had finally found a proper town. Olbert could also see people milling about, and a few hold guards were patrolling the streets.

"Those uniforms…looks like we found Morthal" Olbert muttered. "Hopefully they have a shop or a smith…"

Meeko barked at him, and Olbert turned to look at the dog.

"No, I haven't been here before. Noone from Morthal has ever ordered any of my goods. Now, let's go see what's going on in there."

As they entered the town, they were stopped by one of the guards.

"Hold there" the guard said "I've never seen you around here before. What bring you to Morthal?"

"Just passing through, looking to do a little trading" Olbert said. "I'm a capable blacksmith, and Im looking to work in exchange for a bed and some supplies."

The guard laughed "I'm afraid you're out of luck there friend. Nothing here but a few houses, and the Jarl's Hall of course. If you need a bed there's an inn down that way" the guard pointed "But there's no smith around here."

Olbert sighed. He had a mere 3 Septims in his pocket, not nearly enough to rent a room for a night.

"Thanks friend, but my pockets are feeling a little light. Could you by chance point me toward the nearest town that would have a blacksmith?"

The guard thought for a moment. "That would be Dawnstar I believe. Just take the road that," the guard pointed again "And follow the signs."

"Much appreciated, friend. I'll be off now."

Olbert turned and started walking down the road

"Wait!" The guard called out "Dawnstar is at least a day's walk away! The sun will be going down soon; you should stay in Morthal at least for the night!"

Olbert just laughed "where would I sleep? The ground outside the inn? I'd rather just start walking now, maybe I'll find a campsite I can sleep at."

With that Olbert resumed walking, Meeko following closely behind him, tail wagging.

After walking for almost an hour the sun had gone down. Olbert was whishing he had a torch when Meeko suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

"What is it, boy? What's wrong?" Olbert asked.

Meeko didn't react; instead he hunkered down and growled, while looking off to the side of the road. Olbert squinted and tried to see what was in the trees in the dim light. Suddenly a glob of green slime came flying out of the tree, and it landed on Olberts neck with a loud _thwap!_ It began to sting, and Olbert yelled and tried to scrape the venom off his neck.

The frostbite spider that had launched the attack came quickly scurrying out from the trees, and raced at Olbert. Olbert desperately tried to draw his dagger with one hand while still wiping the venom off with other. The spider drew close, when Meeko jumped from behind Olbert and hurled himself into the spider.

"Meeko, no!" Olbert yelled.

Olbert finally managed to get his dagger free, and he turned to face the spider. However, by the time he had readied himself fully the spider was dead, and Meeko was standing over the corpse, looking rather pleased with himself.

Olbert laughed "Good dog!"

Meeko barked in agreement, and walked back to Olbert, tail wagging, and the two of them began to walk again.

Another hour passed, when Olbert started to hear voices, and he could a light from a campfire. The source of all of this turned out to be a mining camp, Stonehill Mine according to a sign hanging over the mine entrance. A few of the workers were sitting around the fire, preparing dinner and getting ready to sleep.

Olbert walked over, and struck up a conversation with one of the workers. The worker told him that, while the mine was not looking for any more workers, there was an extra tent and bedroll Olbert was welcome to use if he liked. The man also offered Olbert some of the bread and stew the workers had been preparing.

After the meal was done, Olbert and the miners sat around the fire and talked. Olbert told them about his caravan, the bandit raid, and his subsequent adventures. The miners were sympathetic, and some of them also had stories about being harried by bandits. Eventually the conversation lulled, and one by one everyone went to their tent to sleep. Olbert crawled into the vacant one, laid down on the straw mat, and was asleep in a few minutes.

Olbert woke up only a few hours later, the sun was getting ready to rise, but it hadn't yet made it over the distant mountain peaks. All of the miners were still asleep when Olbert crawled out of the tent. Meeko stirred and woke soon after, he seemed eager to be off. Olbert ate his last remaining apple, and grabbed another one from the produce barrel the miners had. Then he and Meeko headed back toward the road, and resumed the walk to Dawnstar.

The rest of the journey continued rather uneventfully, and Olbert and Meeko walked into Dawnstar at around noon. As they walked through the town, Olbert overheard an argument between what looked to be a few Imperial veterans and the Jarl of the hold. Olbert paid them no attention, as he had found just what he was looking for: a blacksmith.

The smith was called Rustleif, and he offered to give Olbert some iron ingots in exchange for some help around the forge. Olbert helped Rustleif craft a few sets of leather armor, and then used his payment to craft himself a full set of sturdy iron armor, an axe, and a shield. Olbert grinned at his handiwork. Granted, it wasn't fine Nordic Steel, but it could block swords and arrows far better than his current shirt and trousers. Olbert slid the armor on, picked up his new weapon, and headed off to the inn for some lunch.

After exiting the inn, Olbert walked up to one of the Dawnstar guards.

"What is it?" the guard asked. "Trouble?"

"No, friend. I just need directions. I need to get to Whiterun, and since Dawnstar doesn't seem to have a carriage I guess I'll have to walk."

"Whiterun eh?" The guard thought for a second "Well Whiterun is a pretty long walk if you stick to the main roads, it'd be a day and a half, if not more."

Olbert sighed. "is there no other way? A path through the mountains of some kind?"

The guard paused again, than answered "Well, there is. However I would highly suggest you don't take it. Last I heard it was swarming with wolves, and some people have made reports of a frost troll in the area,"

Olbert thought about it. Wolves he could handle, he had killed quite a few in his travels across Skyrim, but a frost troll would pose a real threat. One of those could tear a man's arms off without even trying.

"How much time would this passage save me?"

"If you moved quickly you could probably make it to Whiterun before the sun went down, if you survived the trip of course" the guard said.

"That decides it then, which way is this path?"

"It's the first left when you walk down that road, "The guard said while pointing, "but don't come crying to me if a bear chews your leg off."

Olbert thanked the guard and headed off down the path. He had to concede that it looked fairly ominous; a narrow footpath with steep cliffs on both sides would be very difficult to fight in.

"Let's hope the people were wrong about the frost troll, eh Meeko?"

Meeko barked in agreement, and then let out a low whine. He didn't like the path any more than Olbert did.

"Come on, boy. The sooner we get through here the better."

With some trepidation, Olbert and Meeko began walking down the path. The grey cliff walls rose ominously on both sides of them, but the continued on. Eventually the path widened, and gaps appeared in the cliff walls. Olbert sighed with relief, but it was cut short by a growl from behind him.

Olbert whirled around, his axe at the ready. Three wolves were creeping up the path behind them, and they looked hungry.

One wolf broke away from the pack and charged at Olbert, snarling. Before he had a chance to react, Meeko jumped into the wolf, and the two of them landed on the ground and began fighting. The two other wolves took this opportunity to charge Olbert. The first one leapt, and Olbert ducked while raising his shield. The leaping wolf hit the shield with a yelp, bounced off, and hit the ground on its back. The second wolf ran for Olbert's leg. He kicked, and his foot caught it right under the jaw. The wolf yelped, and stopped for a second, stunned. Olbert swung his axe down, and crushed the front of the wolf's head. It crumpled, dead before it even had a chance to make a noise.

The first wolf was now back up, and snarling at Olbert. He turned to face it. It rushed in to attack, and Olbert swung his shield into its face. The wolf was knocked back, and Olbert took the chance and buried his axe in the wolf's side. The wolf howled once, and fell over dead.

Olbert turned again to aid Meeko, and he turned just in time to see Meeko tear the throat of the last wolf. The wolf fell over with a gargle, and twitched once. Meeko turned to Olbert and barked rather happily, blood still dripping from his jaws.

Olbert gave a sigh of relief, and sheathed his axe. He then went to each wolf and crudely skinned them, before rolling the pelts up together and tying them to his back. He then looked over at Meeko and whistled. Meeko barked again and began to follow as Olbert made his way down the path.

The two of them had barely any time to catch their breath before they heard shouting, and the sounds of combat, coming from further down the path. Olbert unsheathed his axe and raced toward the noise, with Meeko following at his heels. As they turned past a large boulder, they were greeted with the sight of a bandit fighting with two black robed mages. Before Olbert had time to say anything, the bandit sunk his sword into the chest of one of the mages. As he turned to face the other mage, a blast of lightning caught him in the chest, and he flew backwards and hit the rocks with a sickening _crunch._

The surviving mage turned to face Olbert, and grinned. Electricity crackled around his fingertips.

"That….doesn't look friendly" Olbert muttered, just as a bolt of lightning flew over his head.

Olbert ducked down low and raised his shield, just as another bolt smacked into it. The force of it made him stumble, but he didn't fall. He took a step toward the mage, and the mage launched another bolt into the shield.

"I'll get you eventually" the mage yelled, as he charged up another attack, "I am a master of the arcane!"

"You're a master at talking big" Olbert said back "But so far you haven't impressed me."

The mage laughed. "Well then you'll have to tell me what you think of this, if you survive of course." More lightning crackled around the mage's hand, and Olbert braced himself for another blast, when the mage started yelling.

"Get off! Get off of me you stupid dog!"

Meeko had gotten behind the mage, and was tugging at the hem of his robes. The mage stumbled, and his shock spell went wild, missing Olbert and hitting the top of the nearby cliff. Olbert took this opportunity to charge the mage, and he caught the made in the chest with his sheld. The mage cried out as he was flung a good distance, and he landed hard on his back.

Instantly, Meeko was on the mage again, biting and snarling. The mage screamed and thrashed for a few seconds before slowly stopping. Blood pooled in the snow around his head, and he lay still. Olbert walked over and almost gagged.

"Meeko really did a number on you, kid," he muttered. Then he turned and patted Meeko on the head "Good dog."

Olbert began searching the corpses of the two mages and the lone bandit. He found a decent amount of gold, which he pocketed. He also noticed one of the mages' robes was enchanted, and he took the robe to inspect it later. Enchanting had always been an interest of Olbert's. He was terrible at it, but he still liked to try it out on occasion.

After getting what little he could from the corpses, Olbert started walking again, continuing on his mission to Whiterun. Meeko followed at his heels, he looked subdued and tired.

"We're almost there, boy. We'll be able to relax soon."

Meeko chuffed and wagged his tail a little. Olbert patted his head. The two of them continued down the path for quite a while, and the sun was starting to get low in the sky, when the rocks around them opened up and the plains of Whiterun came into view.

Olbert whistled as he gazed out over the sprawling plains. Rolling hills of green, as far as the eye could see sprawled out in front of him. Here and there deer and elk capered about, drinking from streams or eating the grass. Even Meeko seemed impressed by the view.

"That is…incredible." Olbert said. "I keep forgetting how beautiful this land can be."

Not far below them, Olbert could see what looked to be another mine. However this one didn't look nearly as friendly as the Stonehills mine. The perimeter of the mine had been surrounded by thick wooden logs whose tops had been sharpened into points. Inside the walls Olbert could see three people milling about, and they all carried weapons.

"Something tells me those guys aren't miners. Let's try and steer clear of them, shall we boy?"

Meeko and Olbert slowly made their way down the hill, trying to stay quiet and unseen by the bandits the camp. Just as Olbert though they were going to make it down to the wall, one of the bandits looked over and locked eyes with him. A grin crept across the bandit's face, and Olbert cursed.

"Well well, Looks like we've got ourselves a hero!" The bandit shouted as he drew a sword.

The bandits quickly all drew weapons, and began running toward the entryway for the camp. Olbert unsheathed his axe and ran for the same place. He got there first, and as the first bandit ran out of the open gate, Olbert hit him in the stomach with his shield, and then swung his axe upwards into the bandit's skull. He flew a short distance, before landing in a heap.

The next bandit ran out of the gate, and was met by Meeko. The dog leapt into the man, knocking him over. With a growl, Meeko closed his jaws over the man's throat and tore it out. The man gargled and thrashed for a few seconds before falling still.

"Right, one left." Olbert muttered "Now where's she gotten-"

His sentence was cut short by an arrow smashing into the dirt by his feet. Olbert looked up just in time to see the last bandit knock another arrow onto her bow. Olbert raised his shield, and the arrow hit it with a _thwack_ and sunk in. Olbert lowered his shield and raced at the bandit. She began backing up as fast as possible, while readying yet another arrow. She let it fly before Olbert had a chance to react and it his chestplate and bounced off. Before she could knock a third arrow, Olbert grabbed her shoulder, spun her around, and buried his axe into the back of her skull. She fell forward, and landed in a pile in the grass.

Olbert sat in the grass next to the corpse and caught his breath.

"A pity," he said. "She was a rather pretty, young girl."

After composing himself, Olbert began looking over the corpses for anything valuable. He found some gold on the female bandit, as well as a ring of silver and amethyst. He pondered this, wondering if it had been a gift, or if she had just kept it from one her last raids. Eventually he put it in his pocket, it wouldn't do a dead girl any good, and he needed the coin it would fetch.

After examining the dead, Olbert headed up into the actual camp. He saw that the doors to the mine were closed, and light was spilling from the window. There were probably more bandits inside, but he didn't feel like checking.

Around the perimeter of the camp he found a couple of chests, which contained some gold, a few bits of jewelry, and some potions. He took all that he could carry, and then turned and left the camp.

Off in the distance they city of Whiterun loomed. Olbert adjusted his helmet and started walking.

"Come on, Meeko. Let's try and get to the city before night falls completely."


	4. Chapter 4: Whiterun

Olbert pushed the heavy gate door aside, and set foot inside the city. He sighed with relief, and Meeko began to wag his tail.

"We made it, Meeko." Olbert said "Whiterun at last. Now, let's see about getting us some dinner shall we?"

The shops were still open, although the shopkeepers were all getting ready to close down. Olbert went into the General Goods store to sell some of the things he had taken from the bandits. The shopkeeper, Belethor, didn't raise an eyebrow at anything Olbert sold, even the bloody wolf pelts didn't seem to faze him.

"Strange little man he was" Olbert remarked as he and Meeko left the shop.

After exiting the shop, the both of them headed toward the Bannered Mare Inn for some dinner and a bed. When Olbert pushed the front door opened, he immediately smelled cooking meat and his stomach gave a growl of desire. Olbert walked over to one of the seats facing the fire pit, and sat down. One of the staff members, a Redguard woman called Saadia, came over and took Olbert's order of venison steak and mead. He settled in to wait for his meal, when a commotion caught his attention.

"I told you, leave me alone Mikael!" A woman said.

She was talking to a skinny blonde man, who was standing over her shoulder and leaning close to her. He was carrying a lute, and Olbert figured he must be the local bard.

"Ah Carlotta, you fiery thing" the bard said "I know how intimidating a talented bard like myself must seem, but really there's no need to be shy. I think you'll find me to be sweet, caring, and…compassionate" he said with a wink.

The woman just groaned and put a hand to her forehead.

"Now really," the bard continued "Let me buy you a drink. I know for a fact that Hulda has some wonderful Argonian Ale up in the back room. I could share the bottle with you. It would be a great way to start a lovely night together."

"Mikael, I'm not going to say it again, leave me alone right now or you'll regret it."

Mikael scowled at her. "Why are you being so unreasonable? Ive been nothing but kind to-"

"Enough." Olbert said from his seat. "The lady has asked you to leave her alone. If you're smart, you'll respect her wishes."

The bard turned to look at Olbert and smirked. "Yeah? And what if I don't" he asked.

"Then I'll make you very, very sorry." Olbert said as he stood up.

Meeko growled and stared at Mikael, teeth bared. The bard walked over to Olbert and stared him in the face.

"I don't have to take that from you, nor will I. You act tough, but I bet when it comes down to it you're nothing but a weak boned milk drinker!"

With that, the bard took a swing at Olbert, but Olbert caught his hand. With his free hand, Olbert slugged Mikael in the stomach, and then threw him over the bar. Mikael lay in a heap for a second, before slowly getting to his feet.

"Now then," Olbert said as he turned to sit back down "I think that matter is-"

His words were cut short by a bottle Mikael had thrown. It smashed into the back of Olbert's head and shattered, drenching him in mead.

Olbert slowly turned to face Mikael again. The bard paled as Olbert angrily strode over to him.

"Now, uh," he stammered "Let's not do anything- _urk!_"

His words were cut off by Olbert's hand closing around his throat. With one smooth motion, Olbert lifted the bard off the ground and slammed him up against the wall. Olbert then slugged the bard in the stomach twice with all the force he could gather, before driving his knee into the bard's groin, then letting him drop. Mikael slid to the floor, and curled up in a ball, whimpering quietly.

Olbert sat back down and looked over at the woman Mikael had been harassing.

"I think he'll leave you alone after this" Olbert said, and grinned.

The lady smiled back at him gratefully, and shot Mikael a final look of disgust before standing up. She turned to her daughter, who was sitting a few seats away.

"Come on Mila, I think it's time we went to bed"

The both of them exited the inn, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Olbert resumed sitting by the fire, and a woman in the far corner caught his eye. She was wearing a set of heavy steel plated armor. She nodded her approval before returning to her drink. Olbert chuckled.

"The bard must not be very popular" he mused to himself.

Shortly after that, his food arrived. Saadia had also been kind enough bring some scraps of raw meat out for Meeko. He scarfed them down greedily, and then began sniffing around the inn for more bits of food.

After finishing his meal, Olbert walked over to the innkeeper, Hulda, and gave her some gold for a room. He headed upstairs, shut the bedroom door and lay down to sleep.

His dreams troubled him that night. He dreamt of fire, a wall of flame that consumed the whole of Skyrim. He could hear the screams as thousands of people burned, and he could also hear laughter. Deep booming laughter that resonated in his very bones.

He woke with a start, and sat up. By the light coming in from the window, the sun had just risen. Olbert pulled his boots on, and opened the bedroom door. Hulda was already up, cooking breakfast for the inn goers. Olbert gave her a few more coins in exchange for a slice of fresh apple pie and a jug of water. After finishing his breakfast he headed outside.

The dawn air was cold and crisp. It woke Olbert up quickly and thoughorly, and he grinned at the rising sun.

"Today feels like a great day for adventure, doesn't it boy?"

Meeko barked an agreement, and began chasing a blue butterfly that had been fluttering near his nose. Olbert chuckled at the dog, and began to make his way toward the city gates.

As he opened them and stepped outside, a scowl crossed his face. Walking down the road nearby were three High Elves, no doubt members of the Aldmeri Dominion, a group that believed all of the elven races were superior the humans of Tamriel.

The elves walked up to Olbert, and one of them turned to speak to him.

"Out of our way, Nord. We have important business in the city."

"Important, huh?" Olbert replied "I didn't realize strutting around and feeling smug were important duties of the Dominion."

"You hold your tongue in my presence, boy." The elf replied. "You are in the presence of a Thalmor Justicar. I have the power to ruin your life if you so much as look at me wrong."

Olbert scoffed, one hand dropping down to the axe on his belt.

"You elves are not as mighty as you claim to be" he said "In fact; your 'dominion' is a poor joke, and an unfunny one at that."

The elf snarled at him.

"I don't like your tone, boy." He hissed "In fact, I am now quite sure you are a heretic, and you are under arrest for violation of the White-Gold Concordat!"

With that, all three of the elves drew their weapons and charged at Olbert. He swiftly sidestepped the first attacker, and brought his axe down onto the back of the elf's skull. The elf crumpled to the ground, blood oozing from the hole in his head.

"Should've worn a helmet" Olbert remarked as he raised his shield to block a blow from another warrior.

Olbert deflected the sword blow, and then rammed his shoulder into the elf's chest. The elf stumbled back a step, and Olbert quickly closed the gap. He swung his axe up toward the elf's face, but the elf dodged the blow. The other remaining soldier slammed Olbert's back with his mace. Olbert's armor cushioned the blow, but it still made him lose his balance and he dropped to one knee. Before the elf could hit him again, he was knocked aside by Meeko, who threw himself into the elf, and they both tumbled to the ground.

Olbert quickly got back to his feet in time to deflect another sword blow from the other warrior. As the attacker's sword bounced off his shield, Olbert swept the elf's legs, and the elf landed on his back. Before he could react, Olbert's axe cleaved his head in half, spilling blood all over the ground.

Olbert whirled to face the last attacker in time to see him kick Meeko away. The dog yelped as he was thrown, and he landed a short distance away. Meeko quickly got to his feet unhurt, but obviously winded. The elf raised his mace to strike the dog down, when Olbert's hand closed around his wrist.

"I really, really think you're going to wish you hadn't done that" Olbert said as he spun the elf around and rammed his shield into his stomach.

The elf let up a choked gasp, and Olbert swung his axe up into the elf's face. The force of the blow sent the elf into the air, and he landed in a heap. Meeko ran up to the still breathing soldier, and promptly ripped his throat out with a snarl. The elf twitched once and lay still.

Olbert sheathed his axe and gave Meeko a pat on the head

"We're getting good at this, eh boy?"

Meeko barked and wagged his tail in agreement.

Olbert then began the task of stripping the armor off the corpses, and searching them for valuables. Eleven armor was hard to come by in Skyrim, and it usually sold for a very high price.

"The good thing about this fancy Elven stuff" Olbert said as he gathered up what he could "Is that it's light, and easy to carry."

Olbert stood up with his haul, leaving the naked corpses of the elves where they lay. He turned and headed back to the city gates and pushed them open.

The blacksmith, Adrienne, raised a skeptical eyebrow as Olbert showed her the armor he wished to sell.

"I really shouldn't take this" She said "This is Thalmor armor, which means it probably came from a corpse. The bloodstains might also indicate that"

"Where it came from shouldn't matter" Olbert replied "This armor could be easily cleaned and refitted for sale. Think of the money you could make"

That swayed Adrienne's mind, and she took the armor from him.

"Well, I don't have quite the gold on hand to pay you the full value of this set. Perhaps I could trade some supplies for it instead?"

Olbert accepted the deal, and Adrienne gave him several steel ingots, as well as some iron and leather, in exchange for the elven armor.

"Do you mind if I use your forge?" Olbert asked her "This iron armor is in desperate need of replacement"

Adrienne agreed, and Olbert then spent the next two hours hammering out a set of fine steel armor. When he was finished he pulled the set on, and grinned.

"nothing like fine steel to defend yourself with." He remarked.

Olbert also set out to make himself a new axe and shield. Once he was finished he hefted the new weapon, testing its weight. It felt good in his hands, and he grinned.

"Come on, Meeko. Let's go and find somewhere to test our new gear out."


End file.
